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Dear Festividder 2023
Hi, Festividder! Whether you're here because you're offering a fandom I love or just browsing letters, welcome, and happy Festivids season! I'm easily pleased and love surprises, so take everything here as a guideline rather than a rule, and make the vid of your heart!
I love vids about characters and/or relationships between characters, romantic or otherwise. I LOVE vids with humor. I love queer and feminist perspectives. I love creative or out-of-context reinterpretations of source material, if they're respectful. I love people being badass, especially ladies. I love complicated feelings that don't fit into boxes. I'm WEAK for a good lyric match (or honestly even a bad one 😂). I don't usually enjoy things that are emotionally serious or sappy.
Re: music, I love almost anything that has both a melody and a beat. If it's pop or sounds like pop I'm probably into it, especially if it's upbeat. I have a special fondness for just about anything from the 1960s, the mid-to-late-2000s emo-pop-punk vibe, K-pop from all over the last decade, and badass women (Dessa, Halestorm, and Paramore are my forever faves). I struggle with most instrumentals and folk music. However, this is all just for inspiration - I love discovering new music and it's way more important that YOU like the song (or other audio) enough to vid!
Plenty of Shakespeare requests this year, but I love everything in this bar. In alphabetical order:
Clue (1985) [SAFETY]
Hijinks! Shenanigans! Murder! Camp! Tim Curry leading his flock of chaotic ducklings back and forth! People in evening wear running everywhere at a full sprint indoors! This movie is so ridiculous and FUN! I deeply love the clash of colorful personalities, and the over-the-top physical comedy, and all the murder mystery (and horror!) tropes both played straight and subverted. I think absolutely any vid for this movie would be fun as hell. All the wacky highlights? Love it! Character drama? Love that too! Take just the murder bits and make it spooky? Amazing!
I also adore the board game; none of my friends have agreed to play with me in years after I logic-optimized it too hard. If you have an idea for working the game into your vid somehow, that would definitely crack me up. ♟
Coriolanus - Shakespeare [UMBRELLA]
I would be SO thrilled to see any vid that centers Coriolanus and Aufidius and their relationship (especially In A Gay Way), whether the focus is rivals-to-lovers from the first half of the play, or murder boyfriends from the second half, or messy breakup at the end, or straight up romcom out of context, or all of the above! If for whatever reason that's not your thing, (you're missing out, but) I do also appreciate this play for the tragedy of Coriolanus struggling through roles other people force (or manipulate) him into because He Is Not A People Person and he has No Patience For This Bullshit. Many of the play's themes about class conflict and reputation and being a figure in the public eye are somehow especially relevant to politics and celebrity status today, and I don't know if or how that would work in a vid, but could be really interesting to explore.
I've requested the umbrella tag because I'm not attached to any single production. I have seen a handful of productions that are good for different reasons, and would be thrilled with a vid for any one of them (pick your favorite!) or for all of them together (in true umbrella fashion!). Or if you know a Coriolanus production (or adaptation) I don't, or even want to construct your own, I'd be thrilled with a vid for that too!
Here's a starter pack of well-filmed productions!
2011, movie (not filmed stage play) directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes (IMDB) A very serious but compelling production with a lot of visual storytelling. Props for the most intimate death scene of all time.
2014, National Theatre Live, starring Tom Hiddleston (IMDB) Somehow feels like both the most and the least queer production of the bunch. Tom Hiddleston is always a pleasure to look at too :)
2019, Stratford Festival (IMDB) This is a filmed stage play with some impressive stage effects that make it very cinematic, and I loved the acting! If you want to throw out everything I said about the play's substance and just show off how good this version looks, I'm down.
Ghost Trick
Ghost Trick is (unfortunately for the purposes of this letter) one of those games that's better the less you know about the plot. Expect murder mysteries, puzzle solving, zany characters, and a very cute Pomeranian! I played for the first time by binging the Switch port and I recommend the experience. My favorite parts were the puzzle gameplay, the dancing, the main character, and, of course, Missile.
For what it's worth, I really enjoy video game vids that aren't shy about using gameplay footage instead of or in addition to cutscene footage. Put another way, I think vids that evoke the experience of playing a game (as opposed to staying fully within the in-game universe) are really fun!
I also deeply enjoy the genre of fanvid that is literally nothing but video game characters dancing (like this and this and this and this)! If you put together a vid that consists solely of the characters showing off their best moves, I would be truly delighted.
Romeo + Juliet [SAFETY]
IN FAIR VERONA
The best thing I could ask of a vid for this movie is that it aspires to the level of camp and drama of the movie itself. The costumes are a highlight, the color grading is unmistakable, baby Leo DiCaprio and Claire Danes are adorable, Mercutio is iconic. Please go unapologetically wild, and if you can manage a sword-to-gun lyric-to-visual match, I will laugh my butt off without shame. I'd also be captivated by a vid that captures the tone shift from comedy to tragedy. Have fun!
Shakespeare in Love [SAFETY]
I love this movie for two reasons: I deeply enjoy the writing's sense of humor, and Joseph Fiennes as Shakespeare is SO pretty. One of these is definitely easier to celebrate in a vid than the other, but I'd love to see what you can do either way! A vid about writer's block might be fun, or Theatre Shenanigans. If your vid focuses on the Tragic Star-Crossed Love Story, I'd personally be thrilled by any ways in which you could make it lighthearted.
Star Trek: Lower Decks
I was so skeptical of this show because of the comparison it invites to Certain Other Adult Animated Shows of the Time, but I ended up adoring it quickly! It's got wacky sex and violence in abundance (amazing), and it also has heart in abundance (fantastic), and really respects its characters even when they're being total disasters (💯). I love what unabashed nerds the crew are! They're all my favorites, and Mariner is most my favorite (but Tendi is close and so is Doctor T'Ana). I'd be on board with any kind of vid, from "Unsettling Space Hijinks" to "Character Study" to "Ensemble" to "Mariner is Bi" to "Tendi's Dog" to "Deep Cut Star Trek References" (of which I would probably only get the DS9 jokes, but knock yourself out!).
Taskmaster (UK)
SHENANIGANS! UTTER CHAOS! I LOVE the generally-harmless-fun off-the-wall crap everyone on this show comes up with. I LOVE creative solutions that nobody saw coming. I love what a good sport Alex is for putting up with absolutely everything. I love Greg's attitude as a more-or-less-benevolent dictator. I love all the creativity a pointless task can generate. I love it when candidates team up and get along with and make fun of each other. I love every candidate who trails too far behind by mid-season to have a hope of winning, but leans into it and has fun anyway.
I try not to have favorite serieses or favorite candidates, buttttt I have especially soft spots for Series 4 and Series 7 anyway, and I'd love to see your faves too :D
I love vids about characters and/or relationships between characters, romantic or otherwise. I LOVE vids with humor. I love queer and feminist perspectives. I love creative or out-of-context reinterpretations of source material, if they're respectful. I love people being badass, especially ladies. I love complicated feelings that don't fit into boxes. I'm WEAK for a good lyric match (or honestly even a bad one 😂). I don't usually enjoy things that are emotionally serious or sappy.
Re: music, I love almost anything that has both a melody and a beat. If it's pop or sounds like pop I'm probably into it, especially if it's upbeat. I have a special fondness for just about anything from the 1960s, the mid-to-late-2000s emo-pop-punk vibe, K-pop from all over the last decade, and badass women (Dessa, Halestorm, and Paramore are my forever faves). I struggle with most instrumentals and folk music. However, this is all just for inspiration - I love discovering new music and it's way more important that YOU like the song (or other audio) enough to vid!
Plenty of Shakespeare requests this year, but I love everything in this bar. In alphabetical order:
Clue (1985) [SAFETY]
Hijinks! Shenanigans! Murder! Camp! Tim Curry leading his flock of chaotic ducklings back and forth! People in evening wear running everywhere at a full sprint indoors! This movie is so ridiculous and FUN! I deeply love the clash of colorful personalities, and the over-the-top physical comedy, and all the murder mystery (and horror!) tropes both played straight and subverted. I think absolutely any vid for this movie would be fun as hell. All the wacky highlights? Love it! Character drama? Love that too! Take just the murder bits and make it spooky? Amazing!
I also adore the board game; none of my friends have agreed to play with me in years after I logic-optimized it too hard. If you have an idea for working the game into your vid somehow, that would definitely crack me up. ♟
Coriolanus - Shakespeare [UMBRELLA]
I would be SO thrilled to see any vid that centers Coriolanus and Aufidius and their relationship (especially In A Gay Way), whether the focus is rivals-to-lovers from the first half of the play, or murder boyfriends from the second half, or messy breakup at the end, or straight up romcom out of context, or all of the above! If for whatever reason that's not your thing, (you're missing out, but) I do also appreciate this play for the tragedy of Coriolanus struggling through roles other people force (or manipulate) him into because He Is Not A People Person and he has No Patience For This Bullshit. Many of the play's themes about class conflict and reputation and being a figure in the public eye are somehow especially relevant to politics and celebrity status today, and I don't know if or how that would work in a vid, but could be really interesting to explore.
I've requested the umbrella tag because I'm not attached to any single production. I have seen a handful of productions that are good for different reasons, and would be thrilled with a vid for any one of them (pick your favorite!) or for all of them together (in true umbrella fashion!). Or if you know a Coriolanus production (or adaptation) I don't, or even want to construct your own, I'd be thrilled with a vid for that too!
Here's a starter pack of well-filmed productions!
2011, movie (not filmed stage play) directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes (IMDB) A very serious but compelling production with a lot of visual storytelling. Props for the most intimate death scene of all time.
2014, National Theatre Live, starring Tom Hiddleston (IMDB) Somehow feels like both the most and the least queer production of the bunch. Tom Hiddleston is always a pleasure to look at too :)
2019, Stratford Festival (IMDB) This is a filmed stage play with some impressive stage effects that make it very cinematic, and I loved the acting! If you want to throw out everything I said about the play's substance and just show off how good this version looks, I'm down.
Ghost Trick
Ghost Trick is (unfortunately for the purposes of this letter) one of those games that's better the less you know about the plot. Expect murder mysteries, puzzle solving, zany characters, and a very cute Pomeranian! I played for the first time by binging the Switch port and I recommend the experience. My favorite parts were the puzzle gameplay, the dancing, the main character, and, of course, Missile.
For what it's worth, I really enjoy video game vids that aren't shy about using gameplay footage instead of or in addition to cutscene footage. Put another way, I think vids that evoke the experience of playing a game (as opposed to staying fully within the in-game universe) are really fun!
I also deeply enjoy the genre of fanvid that is literally nothing but video game characters dancing (like this and this and this and this)! If you put together a vid that consists solely of the characters showing off their best moves, I would be truly delighted.
Romeo + Juliet [SAFETY]
IN FAIR VERONA
The best thing I could ask of a vid for this movie is that it aspires to the level of camp and drama of the movie itself. The costumes are a highlight, the color grading is unmistakable, baby Leo DiCaprio and Claire Danes are adorable, Mercutio is iconic. Please go unapologetically wild, and if you can manage a sword-to-gun lyric-to-visual match, I will laugh my butt off without shame. I'd also be captivated by a vid that captures the tone shift from comedy to tragedy. Have fun!
Shakespeare in Love [SAFETY]
I love this movie for two reasons: I deeply enjoy the writing's sense of humor, and Joseph Fiennes as Shakespeare is SO pretty. One of these is definitely easier to celebrate in a vid than the other, but I'd love to see what you can do either way! A vid about writer's block might be fun, or Theatre Shenanigans. If your vid focuses on the Tragic Star-Crossed Love Story, I'd personally be thrilled by any ways in which you could make it lighthearted.
Star Trek: Lower Decks
I was so skeptical of this show because of the comparison it invites to Certain Other Adult Animated Shows of the Time, but I ended up adoring it quickly! It's got wacky sex and violence in abundance (amazing), and it also has heart in abundance (fantastic), and really respects its characters even when they're being total disasters (💯). I love what unabashed nerds the crew are! They're all my favorites, and Mariner is most my favorite (but Tendi is close and so is Doctor T'Ana). I'd be on board with any kind of vid, from "Unsettling Space Hijinks" to "Character Study" to "Ensemble" to "Mariner is Bi" to "Tendi's Dog" to "Deep Cut Star Trek References" (of which I would probably only get the DS9 jokes, but knock yourself out!).
Taskmaster (UK)
SHENANIGANS! UTTER CHAOS! I LOVE the generally-harmless-fun off-the-wall crap everyone on this show comes up with. I LOVE creative solutions that nobody saw coming. I love what a good sport Alex is for putting up with absolutely everything. I love Greg's attitude as a more-or-less-benevolent dictator. I love all the creativity a pointless task can generate. I love it when candidates team up and get along with and make fun of each other. I love every candidate who trails too far behind by mid-season to have a hope of winning, but leans into it and has fun anyway.
I try not to have favorite serieses or favorite candidates, buttttt I have especially soft spots for Series 4 and Series 7 anyway, and I'd love to see your faves too :D